Improved curtain-fixture



l UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

J. P. CRAWFORD, OF OARMIGHAELS, PENNSYLVANIA.

I'MPROVED CURTAIN-FIXTURE.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 98,039, dated December 21, 1869.

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J. P. CRAWFORD, of Oarmichaels, in the county of Greene and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain Iiiiprovements in Curtain-Fixtures, of which the following is a specification.

My invention consists of an india-rubber or other elastic washer arranged on one or both sides of asuitable disk on the end of a curtainroller, so as to retain the curtain in place by friction on the sides of said washers,as hereinafter more fully described.

It also consists in the arrangement of afriction curtain-roller,whereby the friction which retains the curtain in place does not bear upon the roller'when said roller is rotated by the cord'for raising the curtain.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure lis a front elevation of my invention; Fig. 2, an end view of the same, with a portion of the bracket removed to better show the end of the roller; Fig. 3, a longitudinal section of the parts containing the `frictionwashers; and Fig. 4, an end view of same, with a sliding wedge substituted in place of the sliding stoppin shown in Figs. l and 2.

A designates an ordinary curtain-roller, and B its spool, attached to one end. On the opposite end is firmly secured a socket, C, provided with a solid end and a shaft, a. On the shaft a is loosely fitted a disk, b, having an annular recess on both sides, in which recesses are fitted india-rubber washers c c, Fig. 3. If desired, one of the washers c maybe dispensed with. These washers c c are a little thicker than the depth ofthe aiinularrecessesin which they fit, so that said washers project outward from the sides of the disk b and bear against the end ofthe socket O and the side ofthe flange d, which ange is fitted so as to be adjusted endwise on the shaft a, but does not revolve on the same.

A portion of the shaft a is threaded and provided with a thumb-nut, e, by means of which thumb-nut the washers cc can be made to bear against the flange d and socket C, so as to create as much friction as is necessary to hold the weight of the curtain, and also to follow up all wearing away of the washers that may be occasioned by continued use.

The periphery of the disk bis provided with ratchet-teeth, andimmediately above said disk To lower the curtain i, simply pullupon the same,'and the roller A, socket C, shaft a, and iiange d will revolve and unroll the curtain while the disk b is held by the pin f. To raise the curtain, pull upon the cord j, when the pin f will slide over the ratchet-teeth of disk b and allow the same to easily revolve, thus raising the curtain without any friction of the washers,and consequently with but little strain upon the cord j. If desired to have the curtain roll from the other sideof the roller, the

disk b can be taken off and changed, so .that` the teeth of the ratchet face the other side of the pinf.

As an equivalent for the pin f, a sliding wedge, f', Fig. 4, might be arranged in the bracket h', so as to freely rise'and lower, while the periphery of the disk b should be plane. As the curtain is pulled down, the wedgef will be drawn between the bracket h and the disk b and hold said disk from rotating; but as the'cord is vpulled and the roller rotated in the opposite direction the disk will raise the wedgef sufficiently to allow the disk to revolve freely, and thus remove the friction of the washers c c.

If desired, the disk b and its appendages l may be placed by the side of the spool B.

The first part of my inventionviz., the en iployment of thefrictiori-washers, with their disk, flange, and thumb-nut-emight be used with the disk fixed so as not to revoive in either direction. This part alone would be an improvement over others, as the thumb-nut enablesA the friction to be adjusted to light or heavy curtains, so that there is no more friction used than is requisite to support the curtain.

Ordinary friction curtain-rollers are objectionable, as in raising it is necessary to raise the weight of the curtain together with the amount of friction requisite to hold the same in place. This not only requires a strong pull at the cord, but the strain on the same is such as to soon cause it to Wear and break, much to the annoyance ofthe operator. By my in- 2. In combination With the. foregoing, the sliding pinf, or it equivalent, constructed and operating as described,whereby the disk b can be revolved in agiven direction only, substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth.

J. P. ORAVFORD.

Witnesses:

JAMES S. PATTERSON, H. BOONE. 

